Khecari is an investigation-driven company with projects ranging from intimate to epic, sprawling to concise. We want to meet you in the process as well as at the shows. Engage with us in the inquiry, generation, development, editing, and performance of the work.

HEALTH & SAFETY

As a company, we value your health and safety. If you want to read more about how we host events at our spaces, please click here to review our always in progress Safe(r)/Brave(r) Space Agreements that we edit to fit various events we host.

Khecari also monitors developments and CDC guidelines in regards to public health guidelines and follows those recommendations or exceeds them. At this time we ask that if you are sick or have been sick and want to attend a Khecari event and you have an illness which is communicable, please stay home.

PERFORMANCES

Creating live performance events is the core of what we do. Driven by inquiry and experimentation, we engage projects that can encompass multiple performance iterations and span years in development. Answerable to the specific needs of the work, Khecari crafts projects in a wide range of varying formats and contexts. From sited work to occurrences on stage, work-in-progress showings to invited workshopping of material, simple offerings in public space to fully produced performance events, this is where we want to meet you, in the work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while public performances are on pause, we are continuing to build works in a safe and behind-the-scenes way. We’re excited to share these with you when we’re able. Visit our calendar below for upcoming performances. For booking please contact us.

REHEARSALS

Currently our regular space at our Arts Partners in Residence location, Indian Boundary Cultural Center, is closed to rehearsals. Normally we hold Open Rehearsals at the space where we show some of our rehearsal process along with some developed work. We also invite folks in on occasion to witness the rehearsal process in an informal manner. Check out our calendar for when we’re able to schedule regular events again, and let us know if you would like to learn more about witnessing our rehearsal process.

CLASSES

We lead regular movement classes called MOTOR, SENSE, Somatics & Strengthening, and Contemporary Modern Dance at Indian Boundary Cultural Center and frequently pop up with workshops and classes in other locations. For current offerings, register here or check our calendar; for booking please contact us.

AUDITIONS

In our art-making, we have practiced an attention to questioning and re-thinking, to care in our crafting and integrity in our relationships. We seek to bring this same mode of attention to how we offer auditions. We mean to present them as a community offering, a free workshop that is a respectful, and positive, and safe(r) space . There are no numbers pinned on. There are no cuts. It is people dancing together. It is a chance to meet each other and learn a bit about how we like to move. We craft auditions considering the needs of the work we’re currently undertaking, but often offer auditions regardless of our hiring needs, as a way of connecting with the community. Be in touch with the Artistic / Executive Directors if you have questions.

RESOURCE SHARE

As Chicago Park District Arts Partners in Residence, Khecari trades public programming for studio use. Between January’s intense end-of-year admin tasks and our yearly break in February we typically have a chunk of time where we’re not using the studio at Indian Boundary Cultural Center and we would love to share our resources with BIPOC/ALAANA* artists in our community every year during this time. This program has a simple application process open to the public that is then chosen by lottery at our annual party in the summer. This residency offers a no-tech, studio practice space with a residency stipend equal to Khecari’s equal-pay-for-all hourly rate, currently $18/hour and a no-tech work-in-progress showing at the end. Please sign up for our newsletter to get notifications for the next application round.

*We understand that the BIPOC/ALAANA nomenclature can be insufficient and welcome your comments on how we can better represent this. Our intention is to let it continually evolve based on the desires from the community. 

INTERNSHIP

For 10 years we offered an internship that focused on the administration and production management activities of a small project-based dance company. The program balanced exploring the individual intern’s interests with the daily realities of running a nonprofit. We operated as a team in the office, working hard together with total respect for our workers (the intern was not a coffee lackey). Three hours per week for six months, the program offered direct mentoring with both Artistic / Executive Directors and hands-on experience in everything necessary to bring the work to the stage, including grant writing, fundraising, marketing, graphic design, production management, and documentation.

From 2013-2023, we were ultimately unable to convince funders to back an educational program that had few recipients, though we believe strongly in the power of a direct mentorship model and how it created a mile deep inch wide impact that would be shared through the community. We are reimagining this program now for a way that feels right for us and for our community. If you are interested in being part of this brainstorming, please contact us.

VOLUNTEER

We have volunteer opportunities ranging from ongoing needs of the company, understudying as a dancer for a project, to helping out with shows and special events. We also offer work-trade options if you would like to see a show and can’t afford a ticket. If you would like to volunteer in any of these capacities please be in touch.

CALENDAR

april

09apr4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

09apr6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

11apr6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

12apr2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

13apr10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

16apr4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

16apr6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

18apr6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

19apr2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

20apr10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

23apr4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

23apr6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

25apr6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

26apr2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

27apr10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

30apr4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

30apr6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

may

02may6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

03may2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

04may10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

07may4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

07may6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

09may6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

10may2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

10may7:00 pm8:00 pmInformal Showing

11may10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

14may4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

14may6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

16may6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

17may2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

18may10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

21may4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

21may6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

23may6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

24may2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

25may10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

28may4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

28may6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

30may6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

31may2:00 pm2:45 pmCreative Movement for Kids (Spring 2024)

june

01jun10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

04jun4:30 pm5:30 pmBeginning Contemporary Modern Dance (Tues 4:30pm)

04jun6:00 pm7:30 pmINTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MODERN DANCE (TUES 6PM)

06jun6:00 pm7:00 pmSomatics & Strengthening (Thurs 6PM)

08jun10:30 am11:30 amBeginning/Intermediate Contemporary Modern Dance (SAT 10:30AM)

15jun12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

20jun12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

22jun12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

27jun12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

29jun12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

july

06jul12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

11jul12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

13jul12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

18jul12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND

20jul12:00 pm5:00 pmTEND